2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye: Mostly Quiet on the Highway

Last week I took my only real long drive in our long-term 2013 Dodge Dart. It's about 110 miles from my house to Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California.

I hit a bunch of traffic on the return trip, which on its own took about three hours. Until everything ground to a halt, though, the Dart was unexpectedly serene at highway speeds.

Neither wind noise nor tire noise is especially noticeable at 70 mph on the highway. For its class, the Dart is acceptably quiet in my view.

To my ears, engine roar is the biggest contributor to cabin noise, and it's really only an issue when you ask the turbo 1.4-liter to dig deep for a passing maneuver on an uphill grade. I like small, turbocharged engines, but the Dart might just be too big and heavy to use an engine this small. I have a feeling the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder on the GT version (an equipment package on the Limited trim level) might be more my speed.